FINISHES- (2).... Star Boxes ... and...Aqua Rolling Stones

 I think that this will probably be my final finishes for 2023.  For me, it's been a really good year for quilting.

In the last couple of days, I finished these two quilts......

 

Star Boxes, measuring 53 x 64 inches.

Pattern adapted from Missouri Star Triple Play video

   Diagonally machine-quilted on Jazz 2.  Cotton/Wool batting

  58 inch wide backing from Hancock's of Paducah

UPDATE:  Not satisfied, I went back and pretty much doubled the diagonal quilting on this one.  I have these two photos of the finished quilting.

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Last finish, Aqua Rolling Stones, finished at approximately 52 x 71 inches. 

Standard Rolling Stone block, original design setting

            Backing purchased at Hobby Lobby, Hobbs 100% cotton batting

  Basic hand-quilting in majority of quilt, BigStitch quilting in Flying Geese borders

 

Orphan-Blocks Baby Quilt-AN ADVENTURE IN QUILTING

Once upon a time, a quilter was feeling very much overwhelmed by her growing bin of strips/strings ; so she set about one day to string piece a big star block.   Well, she was quite happy with the star points that she had come up with, and decided to look in her orphan-block shoe-box to see what kind of leftover she might use for the star's center.  Coming across these two Dresden plate blocks, she decided to combine them, one on top of the other, and THEN applique them onto a center.  

Having gone a bit bonkers from digging around in what seems to be an endless array of fabric choices, she somehow made the crazy choice of a very busy Walmart limes fabric of which she had purchased TWO one-yard packets.  

Thinking (or maybe NOT thinking too well by that point), she decided.......why not just keep digging in  this overstuffed sewing room and see what else has been lying dormant for too long ???  "Well, lookee there", she exclaimed, ...."a basket with a mess of plus blocks and another mess of squares on point.  I don't see that going forward anytime soon, so let's see what they'd look like surrounding that center star. "

(Probably should have known it was time for bed when she thought, "hey, that looks pretty rad ! ")

But, the next morning came and she still liked it, so away she went !  

Now, just about this same time, this ol' gal stumbled across (while innocently surfing the SHOPPING FOR QUILTERS section of the worldwide web), a low shank ruler foot with template, and a SET of circle ruler/templates for ruler quilting !  "Hey, now" she thought,  "I'd like to try that method on my pretty new Jazz 2 sewing machine, since free-motion quilting alone hasn't gone too well so far this decade."  So she placed quite an expensive/frightening order, and set about to piece a back for this little quilt...made of cuddly FLANNEL, no less ! 

Rulers being delivered just about the time she finished thread-basting this little quilty, she just knew that she had to give it a go...........BUT SHE WAS INTIMIDATED, now wasn't she ?????????  Yep.  What if she couldn't do it........what if she messed up !   Those tiny stitches of FMQ are not the easiest thing in the world to remove !!!!!!!!

Still, she thought, "I've made an investment in the rulers, and hardly  ANY investment in this quilt top.......when will I have a better opportunity than this ??????"

Giving herself some time (for her nerves to settle) she messed around first just quilting some basic lines on and around the piecing. But when nothing was left but the big open triangles and squares, she knew that it was NOW OR NEVER !

"Hmmmm.......this fan-quilting template's not too bad !  Oops, veered away from the template there.......oh shucks, where's that seam ripper....grrrrr.   Okay, here we go, .....we can do this......ah, THAT'S BETTER !  Hey, I think I'm getting the hang of this....wait, wait......get a better grip....there, you're back on course.  One triangle, two,  three......FOUR ! ........I DID IT !!!!!  "Before you know it, she'd found a use for the second, basic ruler, for quilting in the squares, and not long afterwards, she had a finished quilt............and gained a new .......well, she wouldn't quite call it 'skill' yet, but she had HOPE ! 

She had learned to use what she had,.......( and what she had splurged on while shopping lately), conquer her fear, and plunge on forward, knowing that tomorrow is another day, and there's still A HECK OF A LOT OF FABRIC LEFT IN THAT ROOM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Size of quilt top before laundering, approximately 44 x 48 inches.  Shrank after a wash and dry to 39 3/4 x 46 inches.  

All quilters' 100% cottons for top, cotton flannels for back, Pellon All Natural Cotton Batting, Cotton Essentials quilting thread.

Machine-pieced on Jazz 2 and JukiTL2010Q sewing machines, thread-basted in frame, quilted on Jazz 2 sewing machine.

Spot in the Middle---finished !

Yesterday, I finished binding this quilt that I have seen referred to as Spot in the Middle.  I have heard others call it Framed Square.  Either way, I REALLY LIKE the finished quilt.

After being undecided on how to finish the piecing, I settled on a fairly modern design featuring ONE side border of a solid light tan, giving me a good place to showcase some "Big Stitch" hand-quilting.

I machine-quilted approximately one half-inch inside of each block's outer seam, in both directions.  Then, after hand-quilting the cable in the solid tan fabric border, using an exaggerated size stitch, I went back and quilted a square one-half inch outside of each block's center square, doing it also with the bigger stitches.  I used a thread from Coats and Clark, called Bold Hand Quilting Thread.

Each block measures 6 inches, finished, and with 10 rows of 8 blocks, plus the 6-inch vertical border on the right, the finished measurements of the quilt are 54 x 60 inches. 

The backing was happily pieced from bigger pieces from my stash of brown fabrics (mostly), and I much prefer it to any ONE fabric that I could have used by itself. 

I just had to get this little fussy-cut square into this quilt.  Quilting certainly DOES bring me joy in the many hours that I spend alone.

Somebody on Facebook dubbed this photo "a cat scan".

FINISHED—Looking Toward Spring !

It is finished !

See previous post....  https://dollyshome.blogspot.com/2020/02/two-new-endeavors.html

More (Nolah's) Cardinals

In my last post, I shared photos of a little Cardinal quilty that I used as my Christmas gift at the widows' luncheon.  Well, that quilt was originally started with the idea of giving it to one particular friend/widow.   When she saw it, and didn't WIN it, she was very disappointed at her loss, and asked me if I would make another to sell to her.

Well, that didn't seem right since she had been the original inspiration, so I got busy, unbeknownst to her, and designed a second one JUST FOR HER.

I presented it to her at Church this morning, and she was SO SURPRISED !  It was heartwarming to see her response..........just exactly why I treasure this gift of quiltmaking that the LORD has blessed me with.

So here is Nolah's tablerunner, and the original sketch for it's making.  Feel free to use it to make one of your own.

                               MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF MY BLOGGING FRIENDS !

May the sight of a Cardinal this Christmas season bring wonderful memories
 of your loved ones
 who have gone on before you

Time for bed

I had a pretty productive day.  I set up a quilting station in my sewing room, placing my cabinet-machine in front of my cutting table, and snugging the ironing board up near my left elbow, all for supporting the weight of the quilt.

 I machine-quilted the 'bones' of the brown quilt, going down in the ditch of all the long, light-colored sashing strips.  Now I'm doing some cross-seams.

I have a stencil that I think I am going to use on the wide strips, but it involves lots of twisting and turning to do with the walking foot, so I'll take it a bit at a time.  I think I'm going to like the finished look.
Today's weather started out cloudy and cool, but by mid-afternoon, it was 74 degrees and sunny with very little wind.  My baby girl turned 36 years old today.  I got to say 'happy birthday' over the phone, but my voice is so weird that she couldn't really hear much else.  That makes me sad.  But she had a good day and that makes me happy.

Buttercups are blooming all around me, and I especially love these two-tone ones that are around the mailbox.

I even have a couple of Hyacinth blooming.  Welcome, welcome little blooms, so beautifully adorned by our heavenly Father.

Thank God for quilting !

I would go absolutely bonkers staying inside during a cold, snowy, sleety winter like this if it wasn't for sewing, quilting, knitting.......

 Thank God I restored my sewing room to working order again too.  I have just had THE BEST time the last couple of days.  I went in there yesterday and played with scraps all day long, just wanting to make some little something pretty. 

 I got into my scraps bins and pieced 3 wonky stars, which is something I've always wanted to try.  Well, then I messed around with strip-piecing to make some filler blocks.  I was aiming, at that point, for something just big enough to cover the chairside table in the living room.   

I even went so far as to hand-sew some batting strips together while I watched the Walking Dead episode.  So this morning I had my batting and top all ready for basting to a backing.  

more Valori Wells Dandelions, this time in pink/red/coral

I machine-quilted in straight parallel lines, using the edge of the walking foot to keep the lines about 1/2 inch apart all over.  I dug into more scrap strips for the binding and Voila ! 

 FUN, FUN, FUN !

Prayer and wishes of more good times and happy moments with her mom to Dee.  You were whom I thought of as these happy colors came together; it reminds me so much of the pretty, girly things you turn out so often.  I'm glad you have your 'stitching therapy' too....may God continue to keep you and your family in His tender care.  Love to your mom.